Make It Happen

Episode Summary In today’s quick discussion, I take you back to my first taste of entrepreneurship as a kid. It was a fun experience that got me hooked on the idea of being my own boss. I learned some valuable lessons about money, happiness, and what gives life meaning—lessons that still resonate today. In this episode, I chat about how each of our financial situations affect our feelings, and the connection between a higher income and feeling more fulfilled. I answer the age-old question: “Can money really buy happiness?” with data I pulled from my 2024 State of Happiness Study.  Join me as I discuss ways you can create joy and satisfaction in your life, no matter where you stand financially. Key Topics Discussed 00:00 - Introduction: Childhood Money Memories 01:30 - Money and A Sense of Purpose 02:02 - Financial Stressors in Modern Times 03:08 - Income, Education, and Happiness 03:49 - Finding Purpose Beyond Money 06:39 - The Joy of Giving Back 07:07 - Conclusion: Control Your Happiness   To learn more abou

Today I’m talking about "stretch capacity"—an analogy comparing your ability to handle the stressors and challenges of daily life to the elasticity of rubber bands. Join me as l discuss how everyone has different limits and how these limits are tied to resilience.    Key Points Covered in This Episode:  00:00 Introduction to Stretch Capacity  01:08 The Importance of Resilience  02:50 Impact of Current Events 03:31 Building Resilience Reserves: Three Principles  03:50 Principle 1: Focus on Habits  05:57 Principle 2: Movement  07:36 Principle 3: Practicing Gratitude  11:52 Conclusion and Resources    Call to Action:  If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review. Share this podcast with friends or colleagues who could benefit from learning about happiness and resilience. For more resources, visit my website https://www.speakmichelle.com/research Follow Me on Social Media:  @SpeakMichelle @bethehappyist

In today’s episode, I’m tackling a pressing issue—why women aren't as happy as men and what we can do about it. In my recent Happiness Research Study I conducted, I uncovered some surprising statistics about the happiness differences between men and women. And in this episode I explore factors contributing to these differences including confidence, career choices, and sense of connection. If you feel your happiness is lacking to that of your male counterparts, this episode is for YOU.   00:00 - Men’s Happiness vs. Women’s 00:23 - Statistical Differences 01:09 - Factors Affecting Happiness 03:51 - The Role of Connection 06:36 - Call to Action   These findings were nothing short of fascinating, and I was thrilled to share more on these insights with Fox 13 The Place earlier this month. Give it a watch and let me know what you think!   And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast for more insightful episodes. If you found this discussion helpful, please share it with your friends and family. Your support helps

In today's episode, I discuss how comparing yourself to others can be a significant hindrance to your happiness and overall well-being. I explore the effects of social comparison, backed by research findings on happiness, and provide practical strategies to reclaim your joy and focus on your own path.   00:00 Introduction to Happiness Research 00:18 Workplace Interactions and Happiness 01:26 Impact of Social Media and Comparison 03:49 Strategies to Reclaim Your Happiness 03:56 Conclusion: Honor Your Path Let's face it - a lot of our happiness is affected by others, or at least perceived to be affected by others. That's what I discovered (and talk about!) in my 2024 State of Happiness research report. It's time we change that and reclaim our happiness.

In today’s episode, I share a personal story that touched me a few years ago about a memorable trip to Disneyland with my dad. He taught me the importance of having a sense of purpose and how it can significantly enhance the satisfaction of life. I share actionable advice to help you create and maintain a sense of purpose in your daily life that will bring you longer lasting joy and happiness.   00:00 - A Disneyland Trip to Remember 02:38 - The Meaning of Life 04:14 - Finding Purpose in Everyday Moments 06:12 - The Crossing Guard with a Difference 08:37 - The Impact of Small Acts 09:14 - Creating Your Own Sense of Purpose Looking for more ways to find happiness? Check out the findings in our groundbreaking happiness and resilience research, and follow along as we share the findings at www.speakmichelle.com/research.

Have you ever encountered someone completely captivated by a newfound hobby? Now, imagine that same devotion, but applied to the pursuit of happiness because that’s where I find myself right now! Eager to share my discoveries with you. My enthusiasm for happiness runs deep, and now, equipped with compelling evidence from my 2024 State of Happiness Study, I am more driven than ever to spread the joy. And that’s precisely what I do in today’s episode!   00:00 - Introduction 00:34 - Personal Background 01:23 - Key Statistics 01:42 - Significance of Happiness 04:10 - Actionable Tips 05:44 - Episode Wrap-up   Feeling inspired to add more happiness to your life? Make sure to subscribe to the podcast for more doable tips backed by actual research!  Remember, happiness is contagious; let's spread it far and wide!  

Join me today as I explore key communication strategies and insights from the book, 'Exactly What to Say' by Phil Jones in today's MiniCast. I recently attended Phil Jones' "Open Book Mastermind" in New York and was blown away by his insights, particularly his emphasis on focusing on one business at a time to foster growth. Phil's book further impressed me with its practical phrases for effective communication, especially in sales environments. His emphasis on simplicity and clarity in business strategy inspired me to streamline my approach and explore new revenue streams. I've since adopted his techniques in my interactions, witnessing positive shifts in my relationships and business endeavors. In this episode, I encourage you to explore resources to enhance your communication and build meaningful connections in all aspects of life. Buy the book here!   00:00 Introduction 00:14 Phil Jones - The Mastermind 00:45 Building the Right Business 02:06 Brand Building and Communication 02:27 Key Communication Phrases

In my book "The HappyIST," I share 30 happy habits for living my happiest life, and today I want to discuss tip number 14: Asking myself, "Should I be frustrated or can I be flexible?" I share an experience where needing to embrace flexibility resulted in a preserved relationship. This principle is applicable in various everyday situations. Listen as I share how to manage your expectations, be kind, and ultimately, opt for flexibility to enhance your happiness, relationships, and personal growth. Let's not just look for the bright side but live there. If you'd like to purchase The HappyIST for yourself, click here! 00:00 Introduction to Happiness Principles 00:15 A Personal Story of Flexibility Over Frustration 01:49 The Moment of Transformation: Choosing Flexibility 03:17 Applying Flexibility in Everyday Life 03:53 The Broader Impact of Choosing Flexibility 06:06 Conclusion: The Path to Living Your Happiest Life

143. MiniCast - Happiness During Challenges In this mini episode, I explore the topic of maintaining happiness through challenging times. I open up about discovering joy amidst adversity and draw from my personal life experiences. There's one story I don't often share and how it taught me invaluable lessons about facing challenges with a positive spirit. Join me as we explore the power of gratitude and personal evolution in times of difficulty. Get ready to be uplifted and find out how to harness happiness, even when the going gets tough. Time Stamps 00:00 Discovering Happiness Through Challenges 00:19 The Power of a Gratitude Journal 01:57 A Shift in Perspective: The Impact of Gratitude 03:19 Gratitude as a Lifelong Practice 04:32 Facing Life's Challenges with Gratitude 05:38 Creative Ways to Practice Gratitude 07:44 The Transformative Power of Focusing on the Positive 08:35 Encouragement to Embrace Gratitude 08:57 Conclusion: The Journey of Happiness and High Performance  

In today’s episode, I dive into creating holiday traditions that set you up for a more joyful and peaceful holiday season. The holidays are a special time for creating lasting memories and connections with loved ones, but they can also bring stress and pressure. In this conversation, we'll explore how to craft the happiest holiday traditions that bring peace and comfort whether you're a holiday enthusiast or not. There's something for everyone in this discussion. We explore three key ideas that will help you this season by intentionally including things that create peace and comfort during the holidays and we talk about finding peace and connection by adapting traditions during tough times. Let's create traditions that bring us joy and comfort, no matter what the season holds. 00:00 The Importance of Holiday Traditions 01:33 Creating Personal Traditions That Matter 02:45 Involving Family and Friends in Your Traditions 05:22 Intentionality in Tradition: Making It Meaningful 06:21 Reflecting and Planning: A P

On this week’s episode of Make It Happen, I sit down with Cheryl Johnson. She breaks down the myths of cooperatives and points out the impact that using cooperatives can bring to communities. Then don’t miss pick my brain where I talk about the usefulness of hashtags.   (00:44) Pick my brain: How do I use Hashtags? Hashtags work on some platforms but not all. Don't use them in Facebook, it hurts you in the algorithm. Most other platforms are good for them.  Social Media Examiner is a great resource for current trends and advice on things such as hashtags.  (04:43) Cheryl Johnson Interview: (06:24) Cheryl talks about how she got involved with cooperatives.  (07:08) Cooperatives is not socialism like many people think it’s more about bringing people together.  (08:15) Michelle talks about how Cheryl is good at listening and creating a space that is safe for people to discuss views and social topics respectfully. (09:28) Cheryl says at the core of communications with others when talking views should be empath

Becky Kemp is a speaker, author, and life coach. Today on Make It Happen she talks about the power of word choice, and how changing certain words in our vocabulary can change our lives. Then I give a few of my favorite power words.   (00:58) Favorite Things: Books “Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World” by Kristen Welch “Raising World Changers in a Changing World” by Kristen Welch “Your New Playlist” by John Acuff  Podcast show with John Acuff: https://www.speakmichelle.com/make-it-happen-podcast/105   (03:47) Becky Kemp Interview:  (04:10) Becky is a speaker, author, and life coach.  (05:50) Becky struggled in the past with negative self-talk weighing her down. (07:14) “Change your words and it can change your life” was a phrase that came to her while praying and she let this phrase take her on a journey that changed her life.  (09:45) Michelle asks Becky about her philosophy of the word effect.  (11:25) Our thoughts are what drive how we feel.  (12:26) Be more intentional about how we show up ea

In today's episode, I sat down with Rebecca on Make It Happen and talk about how we can be more confident in this life full of challenges. Then I give a few tips on launching a podcast during pick my brain.   (00:45) Pick my Brain: What are your top 3 tips for launching a podcast? Have at least 6-8 episodes ready upon launch Highly recommend think about your next 20 episodes and have them outlined, most never make it past 10 episodes.  Crystal clear who your audience is   (02:32) Rebecca Haughey Interview:  (02:50) Rebecca Haughey is a confidence coach helps people reach where they want to be. (03:36) Rebecca gives advice of power tools that she uses each day (05:11) Rebecca shares a quote that says “we live in 80% distortion” (06:58) Rebecca shares that once we have thought it brings emotion, we need to weed out facts from stories (10:04) Rebecca talks about feeling feelings first and then move on and move forward (10:58) Be aware because what you can see you can manage (12:54) Rebecca talks about transit

This week’s Make It Happen is a great one. I sit down with Pamela Henrie, and she talks about her success choice system and the planner she created. She gives tips on the different things we can do with our lives to assure we find success. Then I talk about a few of my favorite holiday traditions. (00:48) Pick My Brian: How do you know the difference between plagiarism and repurposing material? When using other material just make sure you attribute the work to that person rather than just taking it and claiming it as yours.    (03:58) Pamela Henry Interview: (04:20) Pamela is a success expert.  (04:43) Pamela talks about what the success choice system and planner that she created (06:05) Pamela felt stuck at one point in her life and wanted to improve her life which took her on a journey.  (08:22) Pamela talks about the importance of everyone’s reasons of why we do things.  (10:34) Pamela talks about importance of daily intentions (11:19) Pamela talks about refinement  (14:08) Pamela talks about routines (

Join me in this week’s episode of Make It Happen episode where I sit down with Ashlee Stratton and talk about growing your business and life passions. Ashlee talks about how to get over the mental game of trying to manage life and the things you are passionate about. Also, I answer this week’s pick my brain that asks how to convince yourself to move forward when in paralysis. (00:32) Pick my Brain: How do I convince myself to move forward if I am in paralysis? Give yourself permission to do some research but give yourself a deadline  Get it started and just try even if you have to tweak as you go You are not alone    Ashlee Stratton Zoom Segment: (04:21) Ashlee is passionate at helping women and moms pursue their dreams (05:57) Michelle asks Ashlee how she got into her passion project? (07:12) Dan Clarks classes changed Ashlee’s life (07:27) Ashlee interviews moms who are going after their goals and starting businesses (09:10) Ashlee shares an experience about Stephen Covey that she had (10:32) Ashlee talk

On this week’s episode of Make It Happen I sit down with Heather Gibson. Heather talks about shame and how to we must release our shame in order to achieve our dreams. Then I share of few of my favorite healthy snacks.   (00:44) Pick my Brain: How do you make a joy list?  Create a of list of things that make me happy separated by price categories. When Michelle finds people burnt out many times, she finds they are no longer doing things that they love. Schedule in things that make you happy each day, week, and month. Share your joy list with me!   Heather Gibson Interview: (04:12) Heather Gibson is CEO of Big-Hearted Breeders; she is also a mom who is passionate about building relationships with her kids and following her dreams. (05:39) Heather talks about shame  (07:02) Heather says we can’t go about our life missions with shame in our life (07:21) Michelle asks how Heather combats shame in her life.  (08:54) Heather talks about opting out of certain situations in life that aren’t fulfilling our life missi

In today’s episode of Make It Happen, I sit down with Tyler Herd and talk about communicating within teams. Communication makes companies tick so it’s always good to learn more tips. Also don’t miss a few of my favorite things where I talk about finding ways to savor the holidays! (00:57) Can you please help me understand social media algorithms at a better level?  There are two algorithms going at a time when you post. Based of engagement with post it will push it out more. The second algorithm is applied to a specific page you are posting on. So you can have a hot page but it may hit the other algorithm poorly and it then won’t reach as many people.  (03:03) Number one: You are more likely to go viral if you if you post a topic within your market with a narrowed in target audience.  (03:28) Number two: evaluate the time of day that your post gets more views and try to post within that time frame (03:45) Number three: don’t give up. It may take a while to wake up your page. Don’t give up and be consistent th

Its fall which means it’s the busy season. This week’s episode of Make It Happen I give advice on how to get through the busy season of fall while being productive, but also enjoying what the season has to offer. Then I share a few of my favorite holiday things. (00:30) Pick my Brain: How to handle questions asked by a family member or friend at holiday gatherings that make it all awkward? Michelle shares that she will sometimes let family members before a gathering that she doesn’t want to discuss.  Second, she comes to gathering with things to talk about with people, so it doesn’t get awkward.  Bring a guest that can help you have support or can take you out of the event for a second   Fall Busy Season: (04:36) Michelle shares a few strategies for a business or person to be ready for this crazy holiday months to end out the year.  (05:15) Michelle suggests to businesses that they should be ahead of the game for their fourth quarter plans so they can be ready for the busy seasons (08:13) Michelle talks abou

How are you chasing your dreams and living life to the fullest? Joined by award-winning author and serial entrepreneur, Richie Norton, we're talking all about using your time now, putting your goals first, and just giving it a shot. Tune in to learn more about what you can be doing to chase your dreams! Richie Norton Bio: Richie Norton is an award-winning author and serial entrepreneur. An executive coach to CEOs, he is featured in Forbes, Bloomberg Businessweek, Inc., Entrepreneur, and Huffington Post. Pacific Business News recognized Richie as one of the Top Forty Under 40 “best and brightest young businessmen” in Hawaii. Richie is one of the world’s leading thinkers and Top 100 coaches as honored by MG100. He is the CEO and Cofounder of PROUDUCT—an INC. 5000 company—a global entrepreneurship solution helping businesses go from idea to market with full-service sourcing, product strategy, and end-to-end supply chain. He is the author of several books including Anti-Time Management, The Power of Starting Some

In today's episode I'm joined by special friend and client, Trisha Deming! We're sharing a few success tips along with some of Trisha's Mythbusters. You won't want to miss the bits of goodness shared in this episode. Trisha Deming Bio:I have always enjoyed math, numbers, budgeting, and saving. In college, I loved my business and finance classes and thought for sure I’d be a financial planner. It brought me so much joy to think about credit counseling and helping others get out of debt and save for their future.After I graduated from college, I took a different path and started a real estate appraisal business. It was a great career and allowed me to be the stay at home mom I had always dreamed of. It provided a decent income and flexible hours and allowed me to work with numbers. I enjoyed it. After about 10 years in this career, I longed for more. I didn’t picture myself doing this forever. I wanted to expand my income stream and was presented with the opportunity to work in the pet industry in a start up of